John Banville claims mixed feelings about his work. On his thriller-writing alter ego he says, “I’m proud of the Benjamin Black books in the way that a craftsman would be proud of a nicely finished table.” As for the Booker-winner’s titles, “John Banville books I loathe and despise and hate. They’re a standing affront to me.” He adds, “I have this fantasy,” says the much-lauded Irish novelist. “I’m walking past a bookshop and I click my fingers and all my books go blank. So I can start again and get it right.” What else is different between the two writers? […]
Baker & Taylor CFO Departs
Baker & Taylor’s CFO James Melton has decided to leave the company. Baker & Taylor will “immediately begin a search for a successor. Melton has agreed to remain with the company during a transition period.”Release
Ulin on LAT's Book Pages
The Sunday LA Times runs this note from David Ulin: This issue of the Los Angeles Times Book Review is the final one in its current form. Starting Aug. 3, Sunday book coverage will move to a reconfigured Calendar Part II, which will be renamed Arts & Books and will feature dedicated space for books. In addition to Arts & Books, we will also continue to publish book reviews six days a week in daily Calendar. We will also publish book-related features, both in the daily paper and on Sunday. And, of course, we will maintain the online book coverage […]
Weisbach: Agenting, but Not an Agent
Answering a summer Friday’s top item of mystery, former Weinstein Books ceo Rob Weisbach explains that his agenting role for Norman Ollestad’s just-announced CRAZY FOR THE STORM was “an opportunity I couldn’t resist to help a fine writer and very decent person” rather than the beginning of a literary agency. “That’s not my next step,” Weisbach said, underscoring, “I’m not choosing a different career path.” Introduced to the author by a mutual friend (former Storyopolis owner Fonda Snyder), Weisbach found the story “superlative, on several levels”–and met with similar reactions from editors and executives at multiple houses. But he’s otherwise […]
Energetic Store Thrives in Quiet West Marin
A local story celebrates how bookstore Point Reyes Station has produced “a literary renaissance…over the past decade in this unlikely rural setting.” Editorial director of Sausalito-based PoliPoint Press Peter Richardson says “Point Reyes Station has a reputation for hosting literary events whose ambitions far outstrip its tiny population.” This spring they hosted a three-day Stegner conference attended by 400 people. Owner Steve Costa is working on “a second conference for March on farm writing, inviting Barbara Kingsolver, Wendell Berry and Wes Jackson, among other likely participants.” He says: “We’re hopeful that Point Reyes, over time, will be recognized as an […]
Last Lecture Author Randy Pausch, 47, Dies
The Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor made famous by his bestselling video lecture and book adaptation died today from complications from pancreatic cancer. The book has been translated into 30 languages. Pausch’s rich career is celebrated in a long statement release today by CMU.Obituary